Christmas is coming. It's in the air, on the street, in the church, in the village shops, on our front doors, in our windows and, most of all, it's in our hearts. There's always that special excitement for children of all ages. Maybe there's a sled or a doll that someone wants the most, sitting in the toymaker's window.

No doubt there are all kinds of drums, puppets, dolls, trains and even toy soldiers all over the shop, amid the special sounds of the music boxes and sights of holiday decorations. The toymaker's heart and happiness is reflected in all the bright and warm spirit he shares with everyone at Christmas and all year 'round. Making people happy makes his Christmas the happiest of all.

Paul LandryA delight to both the eye and the heart, a Landry painting is an invitation to
the peace and beauty of nostalgic memories. Come home to his romantic imagery
of widow’s walks and white picket fences, schooners and sloops, carousels and
striped awnings, quaint verandahs, window boxes bursting with blossoms, and
that first warm spring afternoon at the flower market. The artist’s sharp,
crisp colors express balmy summer afternoon, brilliant fall foliage, or the
soft snow of a frosty winter’s morn, inviting the viewer to savor the best of
every season.
Known for the lush gardens he lovingly portrays, Paul’s fascination
with florals began as a child. Although he was primarily assigned to work in
his father’s vegetable garden, he admired what his mother could do in her
flower beds. Today, he spends leisure time creating and tending the flower
gardens at his own home. Gardening, for Paul, could be considered “research,”
as he absorbs impressions of his surroundings for future compositions.
His signature scenes of beauty and nostalgia give a much needed sense of
serenity to our busy lives. Surrender to a trip with renowned artist Paul
Landry to a not-too-distant corner of the world that is rural, seafaring, and
timeless.
The work of Paul Landry can brighten a room by its presence alone. Romantic
images of flower-filled seaside gardens, cozy cottages, and ocean shores, the
paintings are bright and airy and filled with lush colors. Now one of the most
popular nostalgia artists in the U.S., Landry was born on the coast of Canada,
in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The grandson of two sea captains (one Scottish, the
other French), it was inevitable that he, too, turn to the sea as he grew
older, working with fishermen on the banks of Nova Scotia and helping them
pull up their nets and traps. Never far away were his sketchpad and camera. “I
believe that you have to know your subject to paint it well,” he
says. “Spending time on the sea has allowed me to know its many moods.”
By the time Landry was seventeen, he had gained apprentice status as a
photoengraver. He started working his way through the Nova Scotia College of
Art and also attended the Art Students League in New York City. Shortly
afterward, he took a brief sabbatical to paint the sea and the people who make
their living from it.
Finally Landry settled in Connecticut, where he taught at Westport’s Famous
Artists School and wrote the popular textbook On Drawing and Painting. He
still lives near the shore, enjoying the company of his wife and three
children. He maintains an interest in sports car racing, gardening and
golfing. His second book, "The Captain’s Garden: A Reflective Journey Home
Through the Art of Paul Landry", was published to unanimous praise in 1996.
His third book, "At the Heart of Christmas," published in 2001, was an instant
sell-out.
Landry’s paintings have a loyal and growing audience because they
celebrate the spirit of life and bring back memories of halcyon days. “The
sea, the villages that border it and the people who work it all hold a great
fascination for me, providing unending sources of inspiration as they beckon
my heart and hand.”